Pre-Shot Sniper Detection

Enemy snipers are a growing threat to U.S. forces worldwide. According to USA Today, insurgents have been “teaching recruits sophisticated sniper techniques for targeting U.S. troops that include singling out engineers, medics and chaplains.” Detecting and defeating this threat is the goal of pre-shot sniper detection.

The FirstGuard engineering team has made a fundamental advance in radar signal processing for detecting and identifying snipers and other barreled weapons using advanced radar systems and hardware. Our patented approach to sniper detection identifies the presence of a barreled weapon aimed in the vicinity of a target before the weapon is fired. This unique system is able to detect and localize the weapon barrel. In a complementary technique utilizing the same radar data that is used for detection, a digital signature can be quickly recognized to separate the weapon from clutter and spoofing objects, significantly decreasing the likelihood of false positives or false negatives in the field.

When these two techniques are combined, the FGT weapon detection, localization, and classification system provides an unparalleled ability to seek out and identify sniper rifles, small-barreled weapons (pistols and revolvers), indirect fire weapons (mortar launchers and artillery), and related barreled weapon threats before a first shot is fired.

Pre-shot weapons detection includes the identification of specific threats from concealed shooters, often at long ranges (up to 1km). This would include military application and use in security details. “Sniping” detection makes use of the system’s ability to detect and localize weapon barrels carried in any environment, including tactical situations at medium range in urban environments (50-300m) and at close range (5-10m).